The California Division of Public Well being on Friday quietly dropped its plan to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for kids to attend Ok-12 colleges.

The transfer is a reversal from Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2021 announcement that the state would power college students to take the vaccine – a call that was delayed by state officers till at the very least the summer season of 2023.

Now, state public well being officers say they nonetheless “strongly suggest” vaccinating youngsters and workers, however that any choices to necessities ought to be “correctly addressed by the legislative course of.”

Because the Redlands Day by day notes,

The training information web site EdSource reported Feb. 1 that the state would now not pursue it, citing unnamed officers. When the Bay Space Information Group requested whether or not the state was dropping plans for the mandate, the California Division of Public Well being wouldn’t straight reply however didn’t dispute the EdSource report, noting that “emergency rules aren’t being pursued.”

“The legislature thought of this problem final 12 months and didn’t enact laws mandating COVID-19 vaccines for Ok-12 college students,” the CDPH mentioned in a press release, including “The state’s COVID-19 state of emergency will terminate later this month, and per the latest announcement by the federal authorities, the federal public well being emergency will finish in Could.”

In October 2021, Newsom mentioned that the mandate would start for college kids in grades 7-12 in July of 2022 if the FDA had granted full approval for college kids in these grades. Mandates for Ok-6 college students had been set to observe.

California Governor Gavin Newsom proclaims statewide COVID vaccine mandate for Ok-12 in-person lessons pic.twitter.com/d8Jg6YFj8r

— Day by day Caller (@DailyCaller) October 1, 2021

In line with the CDC, 25% of California youngsters aged 12-17, and 60% of these aged 5-11 have not been absolutely vaccinated in opposition to Covid-19.